My Favourite Books
With lots of time on our hands while quarantining, I’ve been reading much more. I started off this year with a goal of reading at least 1 book per month, but I’ve flown through a few series and I’m always looking for something new to start. I figure I can’t be the only one, so I’ve put together a list of some of my favourite books from over the years to help you find your next read.
Leave your favourite books in the comments for myself and others to see!
In no particular order:
Fiction
Uprooted
This is full-on fairy-tale vibes. A girl lives on the edge of a forest which sometimes does harm to those who live in her village. The village is protected by the magic of a wizard, who takes one girl every 10 years to serve him.
What really drew me in with this book was the beautiful imagery it created and the overarching theme of nature vs man. I wouldn’t say that this is really a nail-biting turn-the-page kind of story, but the last quarter of the book is well worth the slower build-up. This is a book where you really enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Beautiful. Magical. Cosy.
Room
My first job was over the summer before my senior year of high school at the local library. I read through so many books in those couple of months, but I devoured this one, and it’s really stuck with me ever since.
This is the story of a woman who was taken captive and gives birth to her captor’s child, who is now 5 by the time of the story being told. Told from the child’s perspective, all he knows is the 4 walls of the shed that they are held in, “Room”. Absolutely heart-breaking when you remember that this is the reality for some people (skip down to the Non-Fiction section for the real-life equivalent). But beautiful in its simplicity in showing how children perceive the knowledge they are given of their world.
Now a movie
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Series)
This series is not complete as of yet, but there are currently 5 books out, the most recent of which was released at the start of this year. I loved the first book, but the story and characters have somehow become more and more compelling with each release. The author has collected strange photos of people - the beginning of edited photos - and has written a story around them (they’re included throughout the book, but it is not a picture book).
These children, with certain “peculiarities” (one can float, one is invisible, one has two mouths - one at the back of her head) live in time loops, where one day is repeated, so that they aren’t hunted down by regular people for their gifts. An American boy finds one such group on an island in Wales and adventures ensue as an invisible beast threatens their survival. Such a good read, and really fast-paced.
First book is now a movie
The Secret Life of Bees
This was actually a book I had to read as part of an assignment in high school (hi Van Ry!) and I’ve read it many times since. I get warm feelings just thinking of it!
Set in the south in the 60s, this book tells the story of a white girl who rescues her black nanny. They escape to the home of 3 black sisters who keep bees. These sisters also knew the girl’s mother, who died in her youth. Some of the best characters I’ve ever read, and such a powerful storyline that talks about prejudice, mental health, and family.
Now a movie
Angels and Demons
Another book that I read in high school for a science assignment (random) and fell in love with. This book is technically a part of a series, which includes The Da Vinci Code, but I’ve only read the first book. Not ground-breaking by any means, but definitely fills an action/adventure/mystery-solving craving like no other! I’ve read it a few times, but it’s been a while since my last time, so I’ll let Goodreads do the talking here:
A Harvard symbologist is asked to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. In a desperate race to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, he works with a scientist to hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, and deserted cathedrals.
Now a movie
A Court of Thorns and Roses
While working at Ann Taylor, I met my now really good friend Brittney, who is my book soul mate. We have such similar tastes and this was the series that really blossomed our friendship. She suggested it one day and all of a sudden I was sucked in and staying up all night to read as much as possible so we could discuss in work the next day. The complete series is now out (thank God because I can’t take any more waiting around!) and I’ve read it in full several times over the past few years.
A girl lives on the edge of a forest which lines the border between the world of humans and that of dangerous fairies. When she kills a wolf in the woods one day, she’s taken by a fairy and begins to learn the difference between fact and fiction about these immortal fairies, including a curse which she might be able to undo.
Non-Fiction
A Stolen Life
The unfortunately true, real-life version of Room. Jaycee was taken off the street on her way to school at 11 years old. This is the story of her 18 years in captivity, during which time she gave birth to two daughters. While difficult to swallow and brutally honest in detail, this story is beautiful in Jaycee’s persistence and survival.
Maus (Series)
This is actually a graphic novel series, which takes place between two times. That of World War II, and the “present day” (the 90s at the time of publishing). The author’s father survived a Nazi concentration camp, and tells his son the story of his experience, which he illustrates using animals to depict nationalities (Germans are cats, Jews are mice, Polish are pigs, and so on). He cuts to real-time moments in the author’s present-day with his father where he sees the lasting impression that this time in his life has made.
For me, this is such a digestible format for history, but it also puts a real, personal story to such an unthinkably horrible period in time. Suitable for many ages, I can’t recommend this enough to any and all.
This Is Going to Hurt
My boyfriend read this first on our holiday last summer. As we were laying by the pool, he would often burst out in laughter. I thought he was putting it on, but once he finished, he insisted that I read it straight away so we could talk about it. Soon I was the one laughing out loud obnoxiously as everyone quietly lounged in the hot Portuguese sun! These are the real journals of a junior doctor in the UK.
Really quick read and easily digestible due to the format, this book gives you the real tea on the world of obstetrician-gynecologists (the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hilarious) and really opens your eyes to the heartbreaking difficulties of working in this field.